Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has become embroiled in pay dispute which could hit deliveries to its stores across the South East, a union has warned.

Unite says deliveries to 100 of the retailer's supermarkets will be "severely hit" over the Christmas period due to a row over pay to delivery drivers.

It centres around 12 drivers working for Harper & Guy Consulting Ltd which serves Sainsbury's Waltham Abbey distribution centre, sited on the M25 in Essex, which services stores across London and the South East.

The disgruntled drivers have vowed to stage six days of strikes over a £12,000 wage disparity between what they are paid compared to those directly employed by the retail giant.

Proposed 24-hour strikes are planned for December 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 as well as from 6pm on Boxing Day to 6pm on December 27.

Unite regional officer Paul Travers said “What we have here is one of the most flagrant cases of pay parity injustice that I have been involved with, as our members are getting paid £12,000-a-year less than their counterparts employed directly by Sainsbury’s doing the same job at the Waltham Abbey depot.

“We feel that that Harper & Guy Consulting Ltd is hiding behind Covid-19 as a flimsy excuse not to engage in pay talks for 2020 and the glaring pay disparity issue.

“As a result of this hardline stance, our members are reluctantly taking six days of strike action that will badly affect deliveries to about 100 Sainsbury’s stores in London and the South East in the run-up to and over the Christmas period."

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “We are aware of a dispute between Harper & Guy and a small number of its drivers which operate from our Waltham Point depot.

“We encourage both sides to keep talking and can reassure our customers that we have contingency plans in place to minimise any disruption this may cause.”

Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent